Clare Maguire - Light After Dark

Tagline: 'This big-voiced belter from Birmingham doesn't need X Factor to get her talent heard. Amy Winehouse, you have been warned...' (The Guardian, in a generally positive mood, as per usual)

Things are moving fast for Irish nightingale Clare Maguire since the BBC named her one of the most promising new artists for 2011. She has since recorded her first album, was named Q magazine's biggest new voice and toured alongside synthpop band Hurts. She has even left leadsinger Theo Hutchcraft speechless and received praise from La Roux' Elly Jackson for her honest emotions. So high expectations for the 23 year old singer born in Solihull. And listening to Clare Maguire's debut Light After Dark, it's difficult not to make comparisons with some other. Strong women like Florence Welch or Anna Calvi on the one hand, women with an astonishing voice and a personality to match. On the other end of the scale however a comparison with X Factor winner Leona Lewis springs to mind. Sure, she can sing, but who gives a damn if you have the personality of a sock puppet. Maguire seems to fall somewhere in the middle with her debut. 

Light After Dark takes off promising with Maguire's vocal acrobatics drawing you closer in the appropriatly titled opener 'Are You Ready?' followed by 'Shield and Sword', a powerful pop track in full Florence + the Machine gear. Unfortunately Light After Dark sometimes sounds too much like a crowd-pleaser. Ballad 'You're Electric' reeks of the whole Leone Lewis R&B with a hint of synth set-up and never surpasses the average. And the crowd-pleasing culminates in 'I surrender', a pretty standard, radio-friendly pop track inches away from being one of those generic dance-pop abortions x-facor marionets such as Agnes would happily sign for. Of course the record never gets close to really going haywire. Because if all else fails, Maguire still has her voice to fall back on, which instantly lift everything up a notch. Toward melodrama on the better moments reaching Florence or Anna levels. On the weaker moments though the songs border on cheesy ('Bullet') or even sound a little dull ('Freedom'). When she does hit the mark though, she shows that this album may not yet be fully representative of her full potential. The thrilling and dramatic 'Ain't Nobody' for instance, her debut single, which makes for one of the highlights of the record. The only real problem now is consistency as she combines her incredible voice, a couple of hit-and-miss ballads worthy of the greatest 1980's soulpop diva's (try to suppress a Miranda-moment during 'Break These Chains') and a few generic choises with glimps of excellence here and there ('Sweet Lie', 'Shield and Sword', 'Ain't Nobody').

The album was produced by Fraser T. Smith, who has previously produced charttoppers for radio-friendly pop diva's like Kylie Minogue, Adele  and Tayo Cruz and that's not hard to hear. Perfectly mainstreamed pop tunes for the greater audience, yes, but not the most interesting credentials in terms of taking risks. And the main issue with this record is that Smith's overpolished tracks sometimes lack the emotional tension these songs so desperately crave, something even Maguire at full range can't compensate. Clare Maguire clearly shows that she is talented, but her debut can't avoid a certain hollowness, at times sounding pompous and overcomposed rather than deep and layered. So from a critic's point of view this album - albeit decent in every way - falls a bit short from being the show-stopper it could have been - and going of on the pre-release buzz should have been. Clare Maguire may not need X Factor to get her talent heard, but for the time being she does seem to need the X Factor framework. But on a bright note, there's little doubt that it will sell well at next year's Grammy's.

Tracklist

1. Are You Ready? (Intro)

2. Shield And Sword

3. Last Dance

4. Freedom

5. I Surrender

6. Bullet

7. Happiest Pretenders

8. Sweet Lie

9. Break These Chains

10. You're Electric

11. Ain't Nobody

12. Light After Dark

13. This Is Not The End

Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes

Tagline: 'High-Pitched Woman: The Right To Be Yourself (Lykke Li on Pitchfork)'

It's been three years since Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson - otherwise known as Lykke Li - debuted with 'Youth Novels', a critically acclaimed debut which launched the Swedish singer as one of those artists to watch for the future. Over the past three years a lot has changed and Lykke Li seems more than ready to break out of the box some media put her into three years ago. 'Because you're a woman the music industry puts you in another corner, she told Pitchforkmedia recently. 'I want to be fighting with the men'. And she was fed up with being cathegorized as the cute female pop singer. Consequently, her sophomore effort Wounded Rhymes feels a lot darker and gloomier than its predecessor and most importantly, the cuteness is gone. First single 'Get Some' released late last year showed us a snapshot preview, the full album validates the transformation into adulthood. At age 25 Lykke Li went from girl to woman, and a strong one at that.

The first thing to strike is the fact that musically Zachrisson is going for a much fiercer sound on Wounded Rhymes. Long gone is the sweet girl blushfully sharing her boy crush in 'Little Bit'. This time she's in charge and there's not a whole lot that will stop her. Opener 'Youth Knows No Pain' immediatly sets the mood.  Tribal beats dance around to the tunes of one of those baseball hymn organs, while the singer celebrates the endless possibilitues youth offers. 'Youth knows no pain, honey, so throw yourself to pieces'.  As far as breaking out goes, she's off to a good start. On 'I Follow Rivers' she continues on that note, propeled by the song's oriental rhythms, subtly referring to 'Little Bit', only without the naiveté and sweetness that sometimes marked Youth Novels. On lead single 'Get Some' - released in October last year - Zachrisson is in full charge, declaring 'I'm your prostitute'. A case of pure powerplay, as the singer creeps into the fantasy of men, tightening her grip on them while letting them think it's the other way around. The clip going with the song shows a mix of intruiging black-and-white footage and the singer dancing in tribal manner radiating both seduction and danger.

As the dust settles down Lykke Li shows that she has also made a leap forward, which most shines through on the slower tracks on the second half of Wounded Rhymes. 'Love Out of Lust' for instance, on which she prefers taking risks in love - and in general life - even if it means risking bumping your head against the wall. Because life is too short to ponder away. It has almost become the mantra of the whole album. Not that being strong and emancipated means that there's no room for vulnerability and grief, au contraire. But with a positive undertone, as she surrenders herself to sadness on 'Sadness Is a Blessing'. After all, what are highs without contrasting lows? The essence here however is her newfound resilience. While her wounded rhymes express her heartache, the music forms a counterbalance, as if to emphasize that even when it hurts, there's no greater feeling than to be able to feel such emotions. And it's all part of the empowerment central on this record. As a whole the album exhales a level of maturity that she couldn't have  achieved when she was recording her first one. But by consistently seeking improvement and trying to explore new fields of emotions and musical styles Lykke Li has seemingly effortlessy met expectations.

Tracklist
1. Youth Knows No Pain
2. I Follow Rivers
3. Love Out of Lust
4. Unrequited Love
5. Get Some
6. Rich Kids Blues
7. Sadness is a Blessing
8. I Know Places
9. Jerome
10. Silent My Song

Bright Eyes - The People's Key

To say that Conor Oberst likes to keep busy is somewhat of an understatement. He has so far released seven solo efforts and has played in several bands including Desaparecidos, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band and Monsters of Folk. And on februari 15th - his birthday - he released The People's Key onto the world, the eleventh album by Oberst with Bright Eyes, the project for which he is probably most acclaimed. Over the years Bright Eyes has been labeled as being folk, but for this record Oberst held different ambitions. 'We're over the Americana, rootsy, whatever that sound is', the singer stated to NME late last year in an interview about the upcoming album adding that the new album would be 'rocking and, for lack of a better term, contemporary, or modern'. But the folk - and godforbid someone should call it country - influences definately remain present. And that's a good thing.

As per usual with Bright Eyes albums, The People's Key takes of with a semi-philosophical spoken word intro in 'Firewall', this time by musician Randy Brewer. With the charisma of a televangelist Brewer's ponderings on evolution, good and evil and Biblical faith service as sort of a thread throughout the album. The actual song is a moody guitar track, culminating in almost in a marching band-like finale. On 'Shell Games', the album's first single, the intent of the album starts to shine through. The guitars are turned up a notch, as the band takes a more indie-rock approach. On 'Jejune Stars' the bursting guitars reach Muse-levels of theatrics, but it doesn't necessarily lift the songs to a higher level. Contemporary maybe, but at the same time a little hollow and that's a shame, because Bright Eyes has always steared clear of unidimensionality. After all that the band tones it back down on 'Approximate Sunlight', to a much softer sound, much more complementary with Oberst's sharp, sometimes nagging voice and the spiritual lyrics. The track is carried by a sober, downcast melody laced with wavey guitar sounds and shreds of spoken word. Au fond it's songs like these that will grab you by the throat. Another highlight is piano ballad 'Ladder Song', the most fragile and at the same time one of the strongest moments on the album. The albums end with a rare dose of optimism in 'One For You, One For Me' and the final word goes to Brewer. The People's Key is definately their loudest album so far, but it's the silent songs that resound the loudest.

Tracklist

1. Firewall

2. Shellgames

3. Jejune Stars

4. Approximate Sunlight

5. Haile Selassie

6. A Machine Spiritual (In The People's Key)

7. Triple Spiral

8. Beginner's Mind

9. Ladder Song

10. One For You, One For Me

Darwin Deez - Wonky Beats

Tagline: 'I wouldn't carry Carrie Underwood under a wooden bridge, but I would carry wood for Carrie under certain circumstances'

Quirky is probably the epitethon best describing New York indie pop ensemble Darwin Deez. The band, formed around lead singer Darwin Deez, released their debut last year and managed to capture the hearts of many with their well-balanced mix of humor, irresistible pop songs and just the right amount of eccentricity. That last quality perhaps surfaces best in their live shows, which include hilarious dance aerobic interludes to for instance Beyoncé's 'Single Ladies'. Either way, those who've heard the band's self-titled debut or seen them perform will know that these guys won't be confined to just one style or genre. In that light their new mixtape Wonky Beats shouldn't be too much of a shock. Conceived as a record made of Willy Wonka samples (from the 1971 musical film, not the 2005 remake) had an interesting starting point.

Musically, Wonky Beats lies miles away from songs like 'Radar Dectector' or 'Bad Day'. Being a rap mixtape there's not a whole lot that would lead an untrained listener to Darwin Deez. Expect hip hop beats and lots of samples taking the place of their trademark indie sound. However, for those who listen closely, their typical comedic twists won't be lost - with 'I Don't Like The Look' as a lyrical pinnacle. The Willy Wonka samples fit nicely into the concept, without taking it too far. By doing so they take into account the important rule that dosage is crucial with ideas like these seen as how sounding ridiculous lies right around the corner. Vocally, Deez gives way to an assortment of rappers for the most part of the album, which at times creates the impression that this is rather a side project than a mixtape. Suffice to say that it will put off some fans of their debut. But if you're into the whole nineties-style sample hip hop, if you don't mind when your favorite artists explore new fields or if they just had you at their 'Single Ladies' spark of genius (guilty), then Wonky Beats will surely please you.

Tracklist

1. Intro

2. Where's The Chocolat (ft. Kool AD)

3. Pure Imagination Part 1

4. Pure Imagination Part 2

5. Candyman (ft. Donovan Deez)

6. Charlie (Interlude)

7. Cheer Up Charlie (ft. Xaphoon Jones)

8. I Don (Remix

9. Catastrophe (ft. Dev Hynes)

10. More Important Things (Interlude)

11. I Want To Party 10,000 Tons

12. Outro

13. The City (Remix ft. DJ Hummus)

14. Today Was Dumb (Scary Mansion ft. Darwin Deez)

Win Win - Win Win

What do you end up with when a producer comes forward with a project of his own? History has shown that the results are mixed at best. James Blake proved that it is possible with the release of his first long player earlier this month and Kanye West has long established his solo career. But on the other end of the spectrum someone like Timbaland has failed to sufficiently expand his sound for a solo effort and even produced some of his worst work yet. And for someone like Diplo the the result was nuanced; on his solo album Florida he fell a bit  short of really adding much to the things he had already done for others but on his co-production with Swift (Major Lazer) he managed to step outside the box. The question arises again here, with the release of Win Win's self-titled debut. Win Win is Spank Rock producer XXXchange and Devlin, one of Spank Rock's tour dj's. So as far as credentials go, they're in the green.

And the album takes a promising start with cutting indie track 'Victim', propelled by a semi-raw, semi-hip guitar riff. But in the spirit of producers sometimes being somewhat unbalanced solo-artists, track number two is a bit of a swing-and-miss. ‘Future Again’ is a pretty standard dance track, nothing out of the ordinary. It just sounds a bit flat after the opening track. ‘Interleave’ shortly rekindles hope that things will get back on track. And ‘Releaserpm’ - a funky peace of world music meets electronics featuring Gang Gang Dance's Lizzie Bougatsos - can continue on that note. By the way: if one song deserved a spot on the album in remix format it probably should have been this one (check the video below, quite frankly not a single track on Win Win equals it, not even the original version). After those highlights the album takes a final turn for the worst.

There are definitely some good ideas on Win Win. Just not enough to fill an entire album. There are, however, plenty of regular ideas. Sure, optimists would say that that makes this a very eclectic piece of work. True, but it also means that it’s not always clear sound the duo is after exactly. And all too often they opt for the easy scenario instead of really trying to push the envelope, throwing in some store brand beats to avoid losing accessibility. As if every interesting idea needs to be compensated so as not to spook the mainstream crowd. With songs like ‘Releaserpm’ and ‘Interleave’ Win Win shows what it might have up its sleeve. But apart from those  rare memorable moments the two don’t show enough to really impress. Too little at least to determine whether the stronger songs are lucky shots or all the rest is the result of misplaced laziness.

1. Planet Playground
2. Victim (ft. Blaqstarr)
3. Future Again (Oakland) (ft. Angela Sarakan)
4. Mother Mary
5. Releasermp (ft. Lizzie Bougatsos)
6. Interleave (ft. Alexis Taylor)
7. Cada Buen Dia
8. Pop A Gumball (ft. Spank Rock, Andrew W.K. & Matt Sweeney)
9. Distorted Reality
10. Glen beck
11. Ghosts/Delirium
12. The Nature Of Transcendent Forces (ft. Douglas Armour)
13. Not Too Late
14. Not Too Late 2 (ft. Pixeltan)

Songs of the Week

1. Born This Way - Lady Gaga: Did she steal it from Madonna or didn't she? I could care less, at least with Gaga the vocals are bearable and you get to pass the rotten personality and overinflated ego. Is it all it's been made up to be? By all means, no. But there's no denying that from here on things are only gonna get bigger.

2. Release RPM - Win Win ft. Lizzie of Gang Gang Dance: Funky piece of world music meets electronics and one of the stronger moments on Spank Rock duo Win Win's upcoming debut album. Lizzie Bougatsos vocals form a perfect match with the Indian beats.

3. Pharaohs & Pyramids - Cut Copy: One of the best songs on Cut Copy's third album Zonoscope, 'Pharaohs & Pyramids' is an irresistible new-wave dancefloor gem, complete with bells and a bass line in the end that recalls their 2008 hit song 'Hearts On Fire'. Read a review of the full album here.

4. Doorway - Planningtorock

5. Out Getting Ribs - Zoo Kid

Sleigh Bells live @ Ancienne Belgique

Deathcrush

Support act was the Norwegian noise rock trio Deathcrush. Their homeland media already labeled them as 'filthy nowave for dirty sluts and horny bastards'. And sure enough, during the first song the blonde lead singer crashed into the crowd, randomly throwing herself at people, oblivious to the fact that both the timing and the ambience were keeping her from getting away with that. After a benefit-of-the-doubt start their performance bogged down in a haze of noise (not necessarilly the good kind) and store-bought smoke, to the point they actually vanished - quite a trick to perform in a room as small as the AB Club. The threesome concluded a fairly conventional show with a blast and that was once again to be taken literally as the blonde one threw herself at the crowd again. I guess it's rock'n roll and all, but I can't help but feel that it would gain some credibilty in a setting that was actually waiting for something like that. All in all Deathcrush failed to really connect with the audience (despite colliding with it). Their music is about as subtle as their name leads on to believe and their act lacks maturity. A supplementary half star though because the unintentional comic relief during their act made me smile.

Sleigh Bells

Sleigh Bells is Derek E. Miller and Alexis Krauss, who met by concidence when Miller was looking for a female vocalist for his new musical project. The two hit it off and the new band was born. Their 2010 debut Treats - produced by M.I.A. on whose N.E.E.T. label they were signed - made it to many a year-end-list (including my own) and their roaring noise pop with electronic and metal influences earned them a spot as one of last years hottest newcomers. As was to be expected the Brooklyn-based duo took a roaring start with 'Infinity Guitars', their second single. 'Kids' and 'Tell 'Em' continued the inferno of pop, raw guitars and electronics. In short Sleigh Bells reduces noise pop to its pure essence: noise and pop. That analysis might sound as profound as it does retarted, but it's the simple truth. With 'Rill Till' the band paused for a minute, but the song fell short of being a fullgrown cool-off song since it was basically just Krauss singing to the backtrack. It was the only soar spot in their live performance and a small one at that, because everything else was right on the mark: Krauss was in great shape, silent force Miller pushed his guitar to the limit and the energy of the show was amazing. Grand finale - of course - was 'Crown On The Ground', one of their best songs and a veritable musical cluster bomb of a track. An earsplitting conclusion to a 35-minute live show, followed by zero encores. Sleigh Bells treated us to a short, but intense live rendition of their debut album. No more, no less.

Cut Copy - Zonoscope

Tagline: "Baby baby, can't you see? / We're on a path to eternity"


Australian synthpop band Cut Copy may not have accumulated the fame they should have by now, but their previous two albums have earned them a considerable amount of critical acclaim. Not wrongly, by the way. On their third album Zonoscope they show that they haven't lost any of their form. The cover image alone - a cut out from a picture by Japanese photographer Tsunehisa Kimura - is a gem (not such a stretch bearing in mind founding member Dan Whitford's background as a graphic designer). And more importantly, behind that cover lie eleven excellent tracks that effortlessly redeem expectations. From the first note onwards it's clear that Cut Copy will be taking care of you for at least the following hour. 'Hush darling, don't you cry', 'Need You Now' takes off, 'Cause their never gonna reach you', supported by an uplifting beat. Song number two 'Take Me Over' is an unadulterated chunk of new-wave nostalgia, with it's extremely danceable eighties melody and starry-eyed vocals floating through it. It's all you need to expel the cold winter thoughts. 'Where I'm Going' reverts back to the sixties, with a sound reminiscent to MGMT on Oracular Spectacular or even Animal Collective with its air of careless joy: 'All you need is a dream and a lover'. You can't argue with that.


In fact, the first few tracks on Zonoscope have a sort of Animal Collective feel to them. The kind of songs that bloom to full size in a haze of positivity, oozing an overall feeling of optimism. 'Pharaohs & Pyramids', incidentally one of the best tracks on Zonoscope (if not the best) is an irresistible new-wave dance floor gem, complete with bells and a bass line in the end that recalls their 2008 hit song 'Hearts On Fire'. It's hard not to notice that Cut Copy is an Australian band. Their sound is so sunny, uplifting and relaxed that it could only come from a country that celebrates Christmas at the beach. On the exotic 'Blink And You'll Miss a Revolution' they even throw in some marimba's to build up to the summery refrain. Sure Cut Copy isn't reinventing the wheel with their synthpop sounds, but they do manage to integrate their musical influences (mostly from the eighties, but also the sixties on this album) into their own sound. 'Blink And You'll Miss a Revolution' is about the fickleness and above all transience of trends in fashion, but it could just as well translate to music. Cut Copy is a band that doesn't ride the wave of what's in - even though that would happen to be eighties electronics these days. They developed a sound that may not be that revolutionary, but is their own and easily holds position in the ever changing world of trends.

'Strange Nostalgia For The Future', a psychedelic intermezzo, then forms the bridge to the second, more indie-rock inspired part of the album. Enter phase two of Zonoscope, where the drums and guitars step into the limelight, while the synths take comfort with a more supporting role, which sometimes even makes it seem as if you're listening to an entirely different (but equally great) band. That's called versatility. 'This Is All We've Got' introduces the first dominant drum line. About halfway the song turns more psychedelic MGMT style (think of the incredibly versatile 'Flash Delirium'). And on 'Alisa' the guitar takes the lead. For the finale however the synths takes over again, pushing everyone back to the dance floor for a last party. 'Sun God' is a whopping 15-minute-long track, built up in two parts. The first the actual song, a stylish synthy pop song, with the same bittersweet love theme that ressound elewhere on the album. Then follows a spacy eighties trip, a synth retrospective almost, bordering on brilliance. A fitting outro to a fantastic record. With their third one Cut Copy delivered nothing less than an exercise in excellence.

Tracklist

1. Need You Now

2. Take Me Over

3. Where I'm Going

4. Pharaohs & Pyramids

5. Blink And You'll Miss A Revolution

6. Strange Nostalgia For The Future

7. This Is All We've Got

8. Alisa

9. Hanging Onto Every Heartbeat

10. Corner Of The Sky

11. Sun God

Songs of the Week

1. The City - Patrick Wolf:Pop virtuoso extraordinaire Patrick Wolf is still only 27 years old and is back with his fifth (!) album already. The concept for Lupercalia has changed quite a lot over the past months, but this second single nontheless justifies the wait.

2. Interleave - Win Win ft. Alexis Taylor: New track from American duo Win Win from their upcoming self-titled debut long player. Win Win is producer Alex Epton and dj Devlin (both Spank Rock), the vocals are provided by Hot Chip's Alexis Taylor. Enjoy!

3. Hold On To Your Misery - CocknBullkid: After three EP's in as many years, two singles (the first one back in 2008!), a sabat year and a name change Anita Blay is at long last about to release her first full studio album. Adulthood is set for April and this promo video shows that she hasn't lost her pop skills.

4. Wilhelms Scream - James Blake:One of the top tracks on dubstep producer James Blake's self-titled debut album. The song start off somewhat subduead, with Blake's voice and sound working together not to break the silence until the song climaxes somewhere halfway, putting you in a trance of peace, happiness and utter beauty.

5. She Wants - Metronomy: First single from Metronomy's forthcoming album English Riviera. Enjoyable preview with a heavily eighties inspired bassline.

*BONUS* Everything - Micachu and the Shapes: The second album of Micachu and the Shapes promises to be an interesting one, judging from the list of 'important things' the band sent out. This excellent first single is being sent into the world for free.

La Roux - Gold Edition

2009 produced some great albums and ditto newcomers and one of those wat without a doubt electropop duo La Roux, composed by singer Elly Jackson and producer Ben Langmaid - who always preferred to stay out of the limelight. Their self-titled debut - a pop triumph characterised by its strong eighties influences and Jackson's signature high-pitched voice - was a refreshingl, thought-out chronic of love, mixing straight-to-the-heart lyrics with cheerful electro sounds. To bridge the gap till their follow-up album, on wich the band is currently working, they're now releasing the Gold Edition EP, a ten-track ... well, gold edition of their debut. Premisse here is not so much to improve 'La Roux' - why would you want to change an already good thing. The Gold Edition is simply adding things, some remixes, b-sides and a few live versions to be specific.


Centerpiece of the EP is 'In For The Kill', the song that got everything started for Jackson and Langmaid. That song must have been remixed a gazillion times, but with this Kanye West remix she does still manage to pull a surprise out of her hat. Third track 'Under My Thumb' is a very enjoyable Rolling Stones cover, a song she has also made her own (it's been part of her live repertoire for a long while now) through her signature powerful, yet melancholic sound. And of course the Gold Edition would be incomplete without Skream's 'In for the Kill' remix. Older than the album itself, but a key version in putting La Roux on the radar. The EP also contains a few live versions, traditionally a bit of a soar spot. Inspite of always putting up a very decent show, their live shows are never fully able to convey the same energy of the album. Here however, she went for accoustic versions, thus avoiding falling flat on the wrong moments. The Abbey Road version of 'Bulletproof' proves that the band has a broader range than purely electronic. And with a loungy interpretation of - once again - 'In For The Kill' (with a perfectly believable Jackson on the bass guitar) the band shows that these songs are as much about the lyrics as about the beats and lend themselves to adaptations like these.


Truth be told, you won't hear much you don't already know. And one could wonder what the relevance is of a couple of remixes and live version of songs some two years after their original release date. So no, the Gold Edition isn't really a shocker in terms of novelty value - even given the Kanye West feature there's only so much you can do with songs like 'In For The Kill'. But For the fans this EP will have fairly little relevance being that they will (or should) have pretty much heard everything already. But then again, for those fans that won't really be of much importance. Containing some decent remixes and interesting live versions, the Gold Edition is mainly intented as a warm-up for the next album and as a little treat in the meantime. And speaking from the fan-perspective: it's much appreciated!

Tracklist

1. In For The Kill (ft. Kanye West)

2. Finally My Saviour

3. Under My Thumb

4. I'm Not Your Toy (Jack Beats Remix)

5. In For The Kill (Skream's Let's Get Ravey Remix)

6. Quicksand (Boy 8 Bit Remix)

7. Bulletproof (Zinc Remix)

8. Tigerlily (Demo)

9. Bulletproof (Intimate Session at Abbey Road, Acoustic)

10. In For The Kill (Vevo Lounge Version)

James Blake - James Blake

In everyone's life comes the day when you start to wonder what you've done so far with your life. Usually that happens after getting confronted with others your age stepping in the limelight. And this was one of those moments. London-based dubstep producer James Blake is only 22 but he has already earned his spurs. Last year he released a solid three EP's, all of which garnered him critical acclaim. On his debut long player the Londoner opted to make a deeply personal record. Runner-up in the BBC Sound of 2011 list (to Jessie J) that album may be one of the most anticipated ones of the year. Rightly, as it turns out. Straightforwardly called 'James Blake', it contains ten tracks, each one more sober than the next and stripped of any unnecessary trimmings. 


On this debut it's as much about the beats as it is about the spaces and silences in between. The help create the mood, never feel out of place and in a weird way add to the whole. There's not a beat too much, it's all in perfect balance. No vocal samples here either, Blake uses his own voice for all songs. Not self-evident for someone who has mostly earned his credit by sampling others but it works. Now it's just his voice, sometimes morphed ('To Care Like You', 'Limit To Your Love'), sometimes duplicated ('Wilhelms Scream') but always touching in its fragility. The combination with his slow, minimal yet nuanced dubstep beats makes for some emotionally loaded, but never over the top songs. Gospel-influenced 'I Never Learned to Share' is built around just two short lines, but the synths - sounding more and more like a church organ as the songs unreels - create an almost sacral mood - while Blake's voice (split in two here) tries to find its way. 'Measurements' has a similar soul-gospel feel due to its fragile polyphony and almost non-existing musical framework. A beautiful mix of technology and sincere emotions reminiscent of the old church hymns. 


One of the best songs on the album is 'Wilhelms Scream', starting off somewhat subdued, with Blake's voice and the sounds working together not to break the silence until the song climaxes somwhere halfway, putting you in trance of peace, happiness and utter beauty. And another - more obvious - highlight of the album is of course Blake's Feist-cover 'Limit To Your Love', a song that surprisingly even managed to pierce through to the mainstream. His version is a little moodier than the original and will choke you up without sounding . Definately worth watching is the video for the song which is very Fever Ray-esque with its lightshow and strange, somewhat supernatural atmosphere. James Blake knows how to set a mood with limited tools. Don't be fooled by Blake minimalism though: he is a man of many faces. He extensively proved that on his previous EP's and on 'James Blake' he displays once more the many facets of his sound and his sky-high ambitions. The result is a pretty impressive debut long player. And if you will excuse me now, I need to start making something of my life.


Tracklist
1. Unluck
2. Wilhelms Scream
3. I Never Learnt To Share
4. Lindesfarne I
5. Lindesfarne II
6. Limit To Your Love
7. Give Me My Month
8. To Care (Like You)
9. Why Don't You Call Me
10. I Mind